I. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to computer networks and communications across computer networks. More particularly, the invention relates to the configuring a wireless device and/or a connected server to add features for the wireless device.
II. Description of the Related Art
Wireless devices are being developed that allow for the execution of applications on these wireless devices. In addition, systems are being developed that allow the downloading of these applications, including data and other content, onto the wireless device using a wireless network. The ability to download applications onto a wireless device provides several advantages. One advantage includes the ability of a user to tailor their wireless device with the applications they want. Another advantage includes not requiring the wireless device manufacturer to load all the applications that may be wanted by the user prior to shipment. In addition, the carrier, who's network will be used by the wireless device, is not required to determine which applications the user will want to use prior to selling the wireless device for use on the network. The carrier can also dynamically determine which applications they will allow to execute on their network.
Carriers, in addition to allowing applications to execute on their network, also provide other features to users of the network. Features include additional functions and/or services associated with the wireless device. Such features may include access to special data transmission rates, caller identification and voice mail, access to GPS, MPEG or other functions supported by the wireless device.
Typically, the features available to a user of a wireless device are defined to the phone prior to receipt by the user. This is done in advance because, depending on the feature, the phone may require sophisticated instructions to activate the feature on the handset. Furthermore, the handset may not have an application that requires the feature and, therefore, the activation is not necessary. Some features require that the server associated with the carrier providing service to the wireless device update information allowing this feature to be used by the phone. For example, if the user wants a voice mail feature, a carrier server will be configured so that the wireless device has access to voice mail.
Currently, users who wish to include these features, or execute applications that will require access to these features, can only add these features using few methods. One method is having the features activated when the wireless device is purchased. This is sometimes, however, difficult for the user to anticipate all the features they may want. As described above, the user will be able to tailor their wireless devices with new applications as they become available. It will not necessarily be known by the user that an application available in the future uses a feature that they should have activated.
In addition, it is foreseeable that a user may only want a feature for a short period of time, such as during the time they intend to use an application that takes advantage of the feature or to use on a trial basis to see if they like the feature. This user would not want to have the manufacturer install or activate this feature if they only want to use for a short time.
Another method is to have the user contact a carrier operator. This is a can be a cumbersome process where the user must call the carrier. The carrier is verbally instructed what feature the user wants. The carrier configures the server associated with that user to indicate the feature is active. The carrier also then verbally instructs the user to perform a sequence of complicated commands to activate the feature on the wireless device. This creates many problems. Not only is it cumbersome and complex for the user, it inhibits the user's desire to add features to the phone, thus limiting the carrier's ability to provide additional features to a current user.
Consequently, what is needed in the art are systems and methods to allow features be made accessible to phone in a dynamic nature so that the user may add features without cumbersome instructions. Furthermore, such systems and methods would provide a period of expiration to disable or remove the features.